DAVID REMNICK, editor of The New Yorker: “Obama’s speech was infinitely better, more self-assured, more politically precise than his first. This was Barack Obama without apology -- a liberal emboldened by political victory and a desire to enter the history books with a progressive agenda. … Gone is the primacy of compromise, which marked Obama’s days as president of the Harvard Law Review and even his first years in office. He no longer seems determined to transcend ideology or partisanship; experience has led him toward an engagement with politics in a tougher, clearer way. … There were countless touchstones of this clear liberal agenda: the association of the 1969 Stonewall demonstrations with the 1965 black-freedom march in Selma and the 1848 women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York …

“The speech was no match for the two greatest moments of oratory ever heard in Washington -- Lincoln’s second Inaugural and Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s address, nearly a century later, at the Lincoln Memorial -- but, if it is followed by action, it will be counted among the most important American political addresses of the modern era. In 1933, F.D.R. came into office with an Inaugural Speech calling for fearlessness in the face of horrific adversity; four years later, with greater confidence, he outlined the framework of a liberal state … That seemed to be what Barack Obama was after Monday, an echo of F.D.R. in March, 1937—a reassertion of government, of commonality.” http://nyr.kr/Sugij8

EXCLUSIVE – ONE OF OBAMA’S FIRST APPOINTMENTS IN TERM II: Henry R. Muñoz III of San Antonio -- an Obama bundler and a national chairman of the Futuro Fund, a group of Latino leaders who raised money for the president’s reelection -- is expected to be named DNC Finance Chair, the first Latino to hold the title: “He is Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Kell Muñoz Architects, Inc., the largest minority-owned architectural firm in Texas. … Muñoz has designed prolific architectural works in the United States/Mexico Border Region for 15 years; he has shaped the skylines of Texas and is an original and innovative leader in the pursuit of a blended cultural expression through the built environment.”

JOHN F. HARRIS and JONATHAN MARTIN, “Obama: On offense for liberalism”: “Barack Obama began his second term by delivering the most ideologically ambitious speech since Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address a generation and a half ago. Reagan announced his conservative intentions by arguing, ‘In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.’ Just as forthrightly, Obama argued the opposite, announcing his progressive intentions for a second term: to defend the aims of the entitlement state, to take on climate-change deniers, to promote gay rights and equal pay for women, to extract the country from ‘perpetual war’ and instead refashion America’s reputation at home and overseas as a ‘source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice.’ Even that word — progressive — doesn’t quite do the speech justice. That is a euphemism taken on for defensive purposes, when the traditional word for an ideology that believed in robustly using federal power for humanitarian ends — liberalism — came to be used primarily as a weapon against its adherents. …

“There was nothing defensive about it. He clearly believes that the 2012 election, for all its snarling and divisive tone, served a useful purpose. By his reckoning, it demonstrated that there are more people on his side — immigrants, minorities, liberal-minded young people and women, beneficiaries of big government — than there are on the other side — older whites, cultural traditionalists, wealthy and upper-middle-class earners … [W]ith a series of direct and implicit references to the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln’s second inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and the social movements of the 1960s, he sought to rebuff efforts by conservatives to brand his politics as alien and exotic and instead tie liberalism to a long American tradition. In that sense, he seemed to want to use his second inaugural not simply to ratify his reelection, but to ratify a turn in the cycles of American politics. He did not want to talk primarily about process and democratic procedure — the ritual calls from several recent inaugurals, including his first, for more civility and goodwill. There was a nod to that this time, but his preoccupation was not with how the nation conducts its politics but to the substantive ends: Who will benefit from government power? In so doing, he highlighted a turn in the cycles of his own career. A traditional liberal in Illinois politics, Obama began his ascent to national power in 2004 with a famous speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston that downplayed the relevance of ideology. … In much of his first term, meanwhile, he and his aides rebuffed efforts to place him on a philosophical spectrum — was he a Clinton-style centrist or a Ted Kennedy-style activist? — by insisting that ideological arguments bored him and that ‘pragmatism’ was his guiding light.

“Monday’s address will vindicate the patience of liberals — environmentalists who wanted more, supporters of single-payer health care who viewed the Affordable Care Act as an unsatisfying consolation prize — who always believed Obama was more on their side than he was letting on. It will also vindicate the fury of conservatives, who can now say they correctly had Obama’s true measure while refusing to believe his appeals to bipartisanship or find common ground with him in the first term. … Obama made no mention of transforming the political and governing process in his speech. He seems to have decided it’s either not possible or that he can’t bring such change while also advancing the policy goals he plainly now views as paramount.” http://politi.co/VOBOyO

150,000 FLAGS for the crowd were provided by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Extras, and those returned, will be donated to Arlington National Cemetery for grave decoration.

THE NETS – AP Television Writer David Bauder: CBS anchor “Scott Pelley called it a civil rights speech … ‘I felt during much of the speech, I felt like I was listening to a Democratic Ronald Reagan,’ said ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl. ‘Where Reagan was unabashedly conservative, Obama was unabashedly progressive.’ … On CNN, historian and Obama biographer David Marannis said Obama's address was much more positive and active than his first inaugural speech four years ago. ‘I could feel his heart beating this time’ … Fox's Brit Hume drew a joking rebuke from a colleague when the camera showed a picture of Beyonce, and he said, ‘She looks stunning, doesn't she?’ Watch out,’ Chris Wallace quickly said. ‘Brent Musburger got in trouble for that, my friend.’… Beyonce ‘is an incredibly beautiful woman, and there's nothing wrong with pointing it out,’ Fox's Megyn Kelly said.”

THE NEW AGENDA – Reid J. Epstein: “Environmentalists had a long discussion of climate change to cheer about. President Obama made a historic embrace of the rights of ‘our gay brothers and sisters’ … The president talked more about poverty than he has for the last four years. But gun control, immigration reform and deficit reduction each got only a passing mention. … The White House says the details will all be there by Feb. 12, when Obama addresses a joint session of Congress. ‘Today was about laying a broader vision,’ a White House official said. ‘In three weeks, we’ll do the policy specifics that back it up.’ … Obama spoke of climate change as the defining issue of the era.” http://politi.co/VWUqxr

--Glenn Thrush: “In the short term, the powerful speech — delivered with an unreserved verve not seen much since the 2008 campaign — signals a tough battle ahead on deficit reduction, budget-cutting and entitlement reform for Republicans.” http://politi.co/Tek3dW

ANDY ROSENTHAL, N.Y. Times Editorial Page Editor, on “Taking Note: The Editorial Page Editor’s Blog”: “I was, personally, upset that Mr. Obama did not discuss gun control. I hope that was not a sign of a lack of commitment on his part to the ambitious proposals he put forth last week.” http://nyti.ms/XwduOZ

DAN BALZ, “The Take,” WP A1, “Speech heralds a bolder style of leadership”: “Obama appears ready to try to split the Republican coalition by setting pragmatists against ideologues. … Obama risks overreaching or over-interpreting his mandate … His victory in November was decisive but not overwhelming. Self-confidence can slip over the line to arrogance or hubris.” http://wapo.st/VmkIHo

GERALD F. SEIB, “Capital Journal,” WSJ A5, “A Fight Over New To-Do List”: “[H]e … sounded less like a man preparing for lofty flights, and a lot more like a man preparing for ground battles. His rhetoric was less about soaring above Washington's political system and more about conquering it, … The first term, like the inaugural address that preceded it four years ago, was consumed by dealing with an economic crisis … Along the way, much of the agenda this president would have liked to have pursued was put on hold … On Monday, there was a clear sense that a pent-up Obama agenda had begun to tumble out -- along with a clear willingness to engage in more and new partisan battles with Republicans in pursuit of it. … The tone of Mr. Obama's remarks Monday left the clear impression that he is prepared to fight over his new agenda, not merely present it for consideration.”

BACK TO BUSINESS – “GOP confident in debt ceiling bill,” by Jake Sherman, with Ginger Gibson and Kate Nocera: “House Republicans will vote [tomorrow] to raise the debt ceiling without matching spending cuts — a proposal that represents both a concession and a new legislative strategy … The fact that House GOP leaders have scheduled a vote on the controversial bill in less than a week since the idea surfaced signifies that they have an unusual amount of confidence in their 233 members. … GOP leaders feel confident they will be able to pass the bill, which suspends the debt ceiling until May 19 … The bill also attempts to force both chambers to pass a budget by April 15. If they don’t, members of Congress will not be paid. The measure — a mere 4½ pages long — is an attempt to sweep away the debt ceiling as a legislative issue until Washington resolves two other thorny problems: government funding and automatic spending cuts dubbed the sequester. The goal, according to lawmakers, is to use the three months after the debt ceiling is lifted to tangle over long-term fiscal policy with the Senate and the White House. But it’s unclear whether President Barack Obama would ever agree to a short-term debt ceiling hike, something he has previously fiercely opposed.” http://politi.co/TekftS

“REPUBLICANS: Fighting words from Obama in inaugural speech,” by John Bresnahan, with Ginger Gibson and Jake Sherman: “Republicans are aware of the larger import of Monday’s ceremony. Obama will be sitting in the Oval Office for the next four years, he’s riding high in the polls and he’s already forced the GOP to retreat on increasing taxes since his Election Day victory. They know the Obama of 2013 is not the same Obama of 2009. Gone are the urgent calls for bipartisanship. Instead, they find a commander-in-chief who knows what he wants and is willing to use all the tools at his disposal … ‘I thought it was very, very good,’ said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. ‘I didn’t think it was very liberal. There were one or two sentences obviously conservatives would object to, but 95 percent of the speech I thought was classically American, emphasizing hard work, emphasizing self-reliance, emphasizing doing things together. I thought it was a good speech. My newsletter tomorrow, I’m actually going to send out the whole text of the speech.’” http://politi.co/141T7zo

--OUT LATER TODAY: BOEHNER INFOGRAPHIC -- Speaker’s office: “things you could do in the time since Senate Democrats last passed a budget (build the Pentagon three times, go on 179 round trips to the moon, build the Keystone XL pipeline -- twice, etc.). It's the beginning of a major communications push to put Dems on the defensive for their complete failure to do a budget in the last four years. … #NoBudgetNoPay” http://1.usa.gov/XveVOa

JESSICA SANTILLO is joining the White House Office of Management and Budget as press secretary, starting today. Jessica joins Associate Director for Communications and Strategic Planning Steve Posner (former Senate Budget Committee communications director, who replaced Ken Baer in July) and Deputy Associate Director Moira Mack (on maternity leave). Jessica is replacing Meg Reilly, who left OMB last spring. Jessica most recently worked as the Ohio communications director for President Obama’s 2012 campaign. She previously was Communications Director for Strategy and Policy at HHS. Before joining the administration, Jessica worked on the communications teams of the DCCC, President Obama’s 2008 general election campaign, the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, and two House members. She is a native of Buffalo and holds a B.A. in economics from Brandeis University.

THE PRESIDENT’S SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS (11:55 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.): “[W]e have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. … My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it -- so long as we seize it together. (Applause.) … The commitments we make to each other through Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, these things do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us. (Applause.) They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great. (Applause.) … We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. (Applause.) Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms. … peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice. . … We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall …

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law -- (applause) -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. (Applause.) Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. (Applause.) … Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. (Applause.) … We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. (Applause.) We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall. … With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.” YouTubehttp://bit.ly/Xv3SEVText http://1.usa.gov/VmfATv

THE DAUGHTERS – “Obama girls to hit teen milestones in White House,” by AP’s Connie Cass: “That's how it goes with kids. You hardly notice how fast they're growing up, then suddenly big sis is nearly as tall as Mom and the little one is a tween, gently sassing Dad. On the inaugural platform again four years later, a more mature Malia Obama, 14, and Sasha, 11, smiled, sometimes giggled, and chatted with their cousin Avery Robinson as they awaited their father's arrival. Sasha bounced on her feet a bit as if chilly; later at the parade she danced in her seat to the beat of passing drummers. Malia, rivaling her mother's 5 feet 11 inches, looked poised in calf-high black boots. … [T]hey whipped out their smartphones in the reviewing stand to take photos. Both daughters appeared … oblivious to their global TV audience … Malia wore a J. Crew ensemble, Sasha's was Kate Spade, and first lady Michelle Obama was in a Thom Browne coat with a navy print like a man's silk tie. … In the second term Sasha, who arrived in the White House as a second-grader, moves on to high school. … Malia, [will] be hitting the years when typical teens start driving, dating and applying to colleges.” http://yhoo.it/11Nx5Sb

SPORTS BLINK – “Conference championship games most-watched since Super Bowl” – NFL release: “The Baltimore Ravens-New England Patriots AFC Championship Game on CBS drew 47.7 million viewers, based on The Nielsen Company’s Fast National ratings. The San Francisco 49ers-Atlanta Falcons NFC Championship Game on FOX drew 42.0 million viewers. This marks the fourth consecutive year that each conference championship game drew 41 million viewers. … Since the Summer Olympics, nine NFL games have accounted for the only programs on television to reach 30 million viewers -- four Divisional playoff games, two Conference Championship Games, two Wild Card playoff games, and the final Sunday Night Football game.”

BIRTHWEEK: John VandeHei, the Turkey King of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, turns 70 on Monday.

DESSERT – “New York City extols virtues of tiny apartments,” by AP’s Ula Ilnytzky: “With the population and rents expected to keep climbing, New York City planners are challenging architects to design ways to make it tolerable - even comfortable - to live in dwellings from 350 square feet to as small as 250 square feet. The city wants to incorporate those designs into an apartment complex to be built on Manhattan's east side next year featuring mostly ‘micro units.’ The aim is to offer more such tiny apartments throughout the city as affordable options for the young singles, cash-poor and empty nesters who are increasingly edged out of the nation's most expensive real-estate market. If the pilot program is successful, New York could ultimately overturn a requirement established in 1987 that all new apartments be at least 400 square feet. … San Francisco recently approved construction of apartments as small as 220 square feet. And Tokyo and Hong Kong have long offered tiny units.

“As a way to get New Yorkers to think small, the Museum of the City of New York is opening an exhibit Wednesday featuring a fully furnished 325-square-foot studio apartment that incorporates the latest space-saving designs. There's the bed that folds out over a couch, a padded ottoman containing four nesting chairs, a fold-out dinette table tucked neatly under the kitchen counter and a TV that slides away to reveal a bar. … Other amenities in the 12-foot-by-24-foot model include a cute bathroom that is 5 feet 9 inches by 7 feet 9 inches, a refrigerator and separate freezer tucked under the counter, and the holy grail of New York apartments, a dishwasher. The Murphy bed … glides out with only a light touch of the hand. …

“New York City, which already has 8.2 million people, is projected to grow by about 600,000 people by 2030. A third of the city's households consist of just one person, a percentage that climbs to 46 percent on the island of Manhattan. Residents face average market-value rents of $2,000 a month for a studio apartment and $2,700 a month for a one-bedroom. Newly constructed tiny apartments, depending on location, are expected to go for the price of a current studio but would have the added state-of-the-art amenities.” http://yhoo.it/Te4fbj

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